This is the second in a matched pair of WWI prints on silk. It is entitled "The Rt. Honourable Earl Kitchener, PCKP Secretary of State for War 1914". Like the other in this pair, the most remarkable thing about the prints is the vivid colour and the crisp and clear details on the image, including in this image piercing blue eyes, even after 100 years. Housed in a matching (see my other posting for the other in this pair) wood and gesso Edwardian frame, this print features the British Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener, whose face became the iconic image on the recruitment posters for WWI.

I have posted these two images because today is the anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in WWI, the first battle where the Canadian army fought as a unit and not dispersed inside the British Expeditionary Forces. Canadians became known in this battle for their bravery and their success as a cohesive fighting unit. They successfully took Vimy Ridge at great cost of life. Vimy Ridge was a turning point in WWI.

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Comments

walksoftly, 2 years agoI've always been proud of the achievements of the Canadian Army at Vimy Ridge.
Up until that time they were looked down upon as inferior Colonial soldiers that needed the supervision of British commanders.
Vimy Ridge proved the worth of the Canadian soldier & their commanders ability to get the job done.

antiquarius123, 2 years agoThanks for the loves and appreciative comments b'buss, walksoftly, and vetraio, mustangtony and bratjdd. One hundred years ago 3000 Canadian men lost their lives and 7000 were wounded, many with terrible wounds. Due to the huge numbers of men in this (and other) battles in WWI, and the small number of medics and doctors, many wounds were not treated well, scarred horribly and/0r never healed. Who's to say how many psychological wounds were also inflicted that were not counted in these statistics, and that scarred these men for the rest of their lives.

Chrisnp, 2 years agoAs a non-Canadian and non-Australian, I’ve always thought of Vimy Ridge the way I do about Gallipoli. Not in terms of size or strategy or tactics, but in terms of meaning to their respective nations.

In case you don’t hear it enough from those of us south of your border, thank you Canada.

walksoftly, 2 years agoAs a Canadian, I appreciate that Chrisnp, thank you.

antiquarius123, 2 years agoThanks for your comments and appreciation Chrisnp. The Aussies and New Zealanders had huge casualties at Gallipoli, and this battle has intense meaning for them because of the sacrifice, which unfortunately proved meaningless in terms of the direction of the war. However, there are other battles where casualties were an order of magnitude greater than Vimy Ridge. For example, the Battle of Argonne resulted in 117,000 US casualties, 70,000 French casualties and 100,000 German casualties. Vimy Ridge means alot to Canadians because the national pride associated with the success of that battles, despite the sacrifice. I'm sitting here looking at Kitchener and his piercing blue eyes and wondering what he would think about the impact that all of the casualities in WWI had on the subsequent evolution of "world peace" - WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Rwanda, Croatia, Cyprus, etc.....and now Korea again.

silentbutler, 2 years agoI have been looking for a copy of this on the net for ages. I have a print of my own with an onion skin bio of the lord. Any idea of value?
Thank-you,
Jeffsilentbutler@hotmail.com